On Reading

Thursday, February 04, 2016

Another negative post. So, I (surprisingly LOL) don't have many regrets. Whatever mistakes I've made, I know were part of the learning process, getting older, and life in general. Shit happens. But one thing I always regret, and even now is not reading enough. NOT READING ENOUGH. NOT READING ENOUGH. I mean novels, poems, short stories, news articles, textbooks, magazines, everything. I am trying to think of which I feel I have missed out the most on, but I can't decide. Since I am an IA major, I'm going to go with the news and my university textbooks. You know sometimes you wing it in class? or on exams? I wish I hadn't "winged" it, no matter how well or bad I did, so it wouldn't put me behind in my upper level classes. Like I said, as an IA major (and I'm sure it's the same with other studies) we always get assigned the latest editions of all texts (reason they're so expensive?) and I just 100% feel like I missed out.

I know it's never to late get started, but still makes me feel SAD. I just feel I would be 100 times more knowledgable and therefore be able to hold some slight amount of intellect. Which I'm not sure if I've mentioned but that being a proper intellectual is like my dream (and no, not like being a world renowned philosopher but having the ability to have an above elementary level discourse).

But anyways, If you're just starting university or in high school please read. Or listen to podcasts, watch the news, do something else than stay on social media all day. Honestly, I hate the people who shit on millennials about our phones and technology etc etc. I think they're bitter salty sour sweet lmao whatever, but I think it's not about putting our phones down per say but balancing what we spend our time on. And this 100% applies to me, I have like so many news apps on my phone but the ratio of how much time I spend on those apps compared to social media ones are like 1:45 LOL. And it's not to say you can't get the topics of substance on social media, on the contrary, I think FB, Twitter, Tumblr, IG are great outlets to get a quick synopsis of whatever current event or topic. But, I do think that we need to then take the next step to find more credible and legitimate sources. There are so MANY articles I see shared on FB that come from like these super whack homemade websites, I don't know how people can believe or maybe they just see the headline, share, and not even click on the source.

I can't say I'm 100% behind this as there are still a lot of people without access to proper sources and there is sooo much on the topic of those living in poverty and the MANY disadvantages they face when it comes to being succesful which I think all ties together.

Also, we can't always trust mainstream media and allllll the news outlets we come across but it gives us a start and you can read multiple sources to see which one you believe is less biased and doesn't have a specific agenda. And again I think reading the facts and gaining that knowledge allows you to begin to thinking critically and objectively, thus giving you the ability to come to your own conclusions and positions without depending on whatever happens to come your way.

I am thinking that I am obsessed with this idea, because being knowledgable and having an intellectual capacity is something I value. SO I have to wrap my head around the fact that there's people who literally don't give a shit, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing (or am i??). It's just something that's hard for me to process since it's not my style. Then again, do I really value it? Because I obviously don't put out the effort necessary.

Still, can you imagine how collective a society we would be if everyone took like at least an hour a day to catch up on the latest news? Like how much more progressive would we be if the average American wasn't so ignorant? (I count myself in the ignorance). Well I'm going to take back my ignorant American comment, and only speak about my personal experience. And in that experience, I feel the people who land in my demographic and community lack introspective and general awareness. Those who loooook like they have a clue, and are the ones who seem to influence our demographic the msot, come across to me as pseudo intellectuals. TBH, I don't want to jump and say that's always the case and if anything they're doing more than I have ever attempted. I hope I am wrong, but from what I have seen these are my experiences and it does discourage me at times.
BUT, I am part of this demographic and I crave change so how many more feel the same?

I love how this started about me being upset at myself than I just come and shit on everyone. I may just be using my own sentiments of my role and projecting them onto everybody else. Nonetheless, I am sure everyone believes there is room for improvement.

On improvement: sort of what is in the little paragraph above goes back to a post I wrote back in March for last year (click here, & read the 2nd paragraph). That paragraph is more my personal solution to what I just elaborated in above. I think it has to be grassroots led though less political but will gradually (and inevitably) take on that element. And who better to mobilize it, but it's own people? We who understand our communities' deep underlying problems and have the proper means to communicate with each other and the even smaller sects within? Rather than someone coming from a distant position who may not have the proper tools to really understand and can have conflicting interests?

I have been really vague on which of my communities falls specifically with what I'm saying, but I think it's better that way. If you click the March post I linked then you'll see. I've been ALL over the place, but one thing just leads to the other and it's hard to stop. I hope I didn't sound like a dumbass, but these are my thoughts for the night.

I am sure there are 100,000 sides to this that I cannot see ATM so as I learn more and understand what the causes, outcomes, obstacles, etc are, I will write another blog post that will either back this one up or completely discredit everything I have just said. I have learned that that is many times the case. This is why I am writing it on my blog as personal thoughts as opposed to saying it's a fact. BTW This was supposed to be a quick statement on my regrets of not reading more in my first few years of uni but I went a bit far.

Tl;dr-

I regret not reading what has been made available to me & using it as a form of self improvement

I understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea and not everyone has a desire to read and learn ideas that don't directly concern them (or even those that should)

Millennials (and hey, older gen too) take advantage of the sources available to you, learn to balance entertainment and topics of substance

Would we see all around improvement if all Americans dedicated more time to reading current events and other sources that contributed to self improvement (as opposed to our usual vapid content)?

I see lack of awareness, that I believe comes with the same lack of education/reading within my community, I believe it has harmful consequences and what can we do at a local level to move forward.

Words

"I knew from the beginning that I have found you to lose you, and I loved you to miss you, we met in a coincidence and we were two arrows with opposite directions, and inevitable were the meeting and the farewell."